Foxconn closes iPad factory after explosion deaths

Part of a Foxconn factory that produces Apple's iPad device has been closed, after three workers at the plant were killed in an explosion blamed on combustible dust in a duct last Friday.

According to Reuters, the manufacturer's parent company Hon Hai Precision said in a stock exchange filing that it had temporarily shut down its polishing workshops at its Chengdu, China factory while an investigation into the deaths takes place.

No information was given as to when the probe of the plant was expected to be completed. The explosion also injured 16 people at the factory, three of whom were said to be in a serious condition.

Meanwhile, shares in Apple rallied on Wall Street on Monday, after taking a temporary knock from reports about the explosion, with some worrying that the manufacture of Cupertino's popular iPad 2 slab could be affected by the blast.

The company's shares, which had fallen 1.7 per cent when Wall Street opened on Monday, are currently down 0.24 per cent on Nasdaq trading at $334.40. ®